[GJM] God/Allah/Elahom is only one/Global Ecological Safety, Sustainability Index and One World Governance Protocol: Towards a comprehensive solution in monotheistic framework

[Muhammad Mukhtar Alam]

Dear Robert,
   
  Following your advice, I would like to close this topic. yesterday, night I was thinking about doing a paper again for the assessing the responses to ecological safety with reference to various communities. I have been to many conference and seminars here and interacted with the followers of various religios and ideologies here in Delhi over the last twenty year..I would like to seek your attention to the following paper that I have posted at www.worldunitydays.org for the Ist Virtual Congress on World Citizenship and Democratice global Governance..
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  Global Ecological Safety, Sustainability Index and One World Governance Protocol: Towards a comprehensive solution in monotheistic framework   
  Dr.Muhammad Mukhtar Alam
                                                                                                              
  We need united actions and simultaneous actions globally for meeting the collective challenge to the survival of human species and preservation of renewable resource livelihoods while securing interspecies justice. Can we live without the mines?  Do we need to think of a world with diverse national goals at a time when there are global threats of similar nature? I would like to start this article with these questions and observations. The answers to the issue of natural resources for many may be in the negative considering the dominance of the products and services in the urban areas where lots of livelihoods are associated with the products that consume mines extracted from the earth. However, for many whose livelihoods are based on agriculture, cattle rearing, hunting and gathering, the answers will be very much positive. We can see the difference of the answers and we can easily see the difference ourselves if we remove the facilities made available through the
 extraction of mines. Many living in the urban areas for generations can see the livelihoods of ancestors who were not trading in commodities and those who were not living by work that did not involve agriculture. Many of us now living in the urban areas can also get back to our rural roots and see that there were few houses built with concrete and steel and most of the houses used to be made of mud, wood and grass with minimal use of iron. They were generally single storied. Thus, we can see that it is the predominantly mines based multi-storeyed housing that has been consuming more and more products based on the mines. Extraction of the mines has been facilitated with petro-modern transportation systems. Earlier, it was also not possible to transport huge quantities of mines from one place to another due to severe logistic limitations. 
   
  I would like to relate to my participation in Eternal Voyage, an international meet of tribal and indigenous / analogous people in December 1993 at Bhopal, India where, I has presented a paper called "Tuning in the Certainty Mode of Expression and breaking the monotony of probabilistic mode of Expression "[1] while coordinating the participation of a multi-national team of student and research scholars. Considering multiple discourses on the conception of good life, just world order, limits to the sustainability of the consumption and production patterns, the paper written in form of questions and answers had been done considering oneself on the death bed answering some of the questions of a younger brother who wished to learn on the justification of my academic thesis " Cognitive Representations related to the Concept of World Citizen". It would have been interesting to reproduce the paper that included questions related to the questions of collective survival equations,
 eternal rhythm and sustainability of the mines based (industrial) and grass and hut based (agricultural and pastoral) civilization. Nonetheless, I would like to note that while proposing the concept of Eternity Index /Sustainability Index in the paper, I had resolved to call for urgent transformation of the consumption and production patterns globally that were based on the utilization of the mineral resources and fuels .I knew that this would not be possible, as transformation of such a magnitude will not be planned and executed democratically. Thus, I had to look for the middle path where there is relatively balanced use of the mines based products without harming the long term sustainability of the consumption and production that are directly linked to the survival equation of all .By 1994, I concluded that, it is only the global adoption of faith based measures that can help in the transformation with minimum loss .The realization further deepened with the formulation
 of conceptual organization that was an outcome of textual encounter with a British journalist Juliet Reynolds on the terms of criticism in arts and culture. My conceptual organization for the academic dissertation on “A Study of the Cognitive Representations related to the Concept of World Citizen” can be seen as the first post on http://muhammad_mukhtar_alam.tigblog.org
   
   
  Now, I would like to relate to the endeavours for world citizenship and the virtual congress that is being organised in the month of July 2006.  While expressing gratitude for the opportunity, I would like to mention that I have been advocating global adoption of faith-based measures for decelerating the consumption of mines based unsustainable consumption and production patterns in the e-forums of World Bank and UNDP. While relating to all the commands of God, I have been focusing on the need to adopt the command for prayer 5 times a day as the best instrument for personal regulation, transformation of leisure use pattern, reduction and deceleration of the consumption based on the utilisation of mines based services and utilities. In a dialogue with Craig Hubley, a teacher at Free University Of Toronto, it was mutually agreed that for getting the best mediation by the leaders and other decision makers, practice of prayer and meditation is important. We discussed several
 dualisms and we agreed that it is the atheistic ethicists and social designers who need to appreciate the importance of the culture of prayer and its impact for World Unity for Social Equity, Global Ecological Safety and Distributive Justice for renewable resource based livelihoods across the world as we may not have full-scale replacement of non-renewable energy based transportation systems that very much define the notions of 'progress', 'development' and 'growth'.
   
  The mining in Himalayas and other mountainous regions is due to the globalisation of fossil fuel based mobility and transportation system and idealization of urban space with skyscrapers and flyovers. Apparently this cannot be stopped but it can be assuredly moderated and regulated.  There is a global upsurge of people's movements most notably manifested through the organization of World Social Forums. There are movements where identities are instruments of mobilization for addressing relative deprivation of all the status markers of "progress"," growth" and "development". In addition, there are state actors involved in the process of exclusivist nation building process undermining the human rights of indigenous populations and ecological rights of the future generations. In all these national building movements and endeavours, there is an underlying desire to seek more and more of unsustainable consumer goods and housing without considering the short future of
 petro-modern[2] lifestyles, consumption and production processes. Distributive justice remains one of the key ideals for class and gender based movements. We may have better scenarios of distributive justice and there are struggles for the distributive justice for these petro-modern products as well. This may be noted that call for distributive justice in the Marxist framework had been for all that all the products and services that are needed for survival and also for those products that are not directly related to survival. However, considering the limits to the sustainability of the mine reserves, one can see that call for distributive justice for all the fossil fuel based services and utilities is an unsustainable vision in the same way as availability of all the mines based production and consumption is a transitory phenomenon, if we think of a long future for humanity (with the will of God/Allah/Ishwar/---/--/ the Creator and Master of all the heavens and earth). 
   
  Thus, it can be inferred that rationalization of the mining in Himalayas can be achieved with the globalisation of relatively sustainable agricultural consumption and production patterns. Additional local endeavours will be needed to safeguard sustainable livelihoods in the Himalayas and eschew imitation of the petro-modern consumption and production processes. However, this may not be effectively achieved in isolation as globalisation of unsustainable fossil fuel based consumption, production and transportation systems goes apace with the advice of free market economists and atheistic liberal social designers who will not be content without the globalisation of "formal democracy"[3] with globalisation of the consumption of fossil fuel based consumption and production processes. None the less, there is a need to seek globalisation of sustainable consumption and production pattern so as to avoid suffering of many, in the future who may not find full scale replacement for
 the fossil fuel based transportation systems. Thus there is need to find urgent solutions for ensuring that our future in the cities are safeguarded trough deceleration of the consumption of non-renewable renewable resource based consumption. Thus, safeguarding Himalayas and such other mountain ecologies is possible with stronger local efforts along with global movement for decelerating the consumption of fossil fuel based services and utilities. There is need to establish one governance protocol for realising such as deceleration as atheistic neo-liberal governance models are not leading us to safety and more and more nations are facing the contradiction of the call of non-renewable resource based development standards and the call of ecological safety, bio safety and environmental sustainability.
   
  Also, Kyoto Protocol emission targets incorporated in the UN millennium development goals point out the need to decrease the emission of green house gases that has influenced vital eco-systems. It is sad that prominent nations such as US and Russia are not interested in ratifying the protocol. In the case of US, arguments have ranged from preserving the present lifestyle to adopting alternative means for reducing the emission of the green house gases. As part of alternative strategies investments are being made both by EU and US for research in hydrogen gas fuel and increasing production of renewable energy .As of now, no major development has taken in transforming the energy use pattern in EU and US other than test running a hydrogen powered vehicle in Iceland. Green Party in German wishes to have more renewable energy by 2020 without ensuring effective and time bound measures for reducing conspicuous consumption. I believe only the adoption of faith based spiritual
 measures is helpful in reducing the consumption of fossil fuel based services and utilities as men and women would be able to give up some of consumption decisions for leisure and pleasure through replacing them by adoption of faith based measures. Muslims practicing prayer 5 times a day do not visit dancing halls and bars and travel long distances for leisure as they need to abide by the commands of God for offering prayer in time. This helps in the minimization of the consumption of the non-renewable resource based services and services. More explanations can be seen later.
   
  The urgency for the adoption of means for radically transforming the consumption pattern gets more urgent as we have more and more and evidences of the impact of global warming reported in the newspapers and journals. There are other distressing pointers to the ecological degradation of the Himalayas. Gangotri and Siachen Glaciers are receding due to global warming and human activity. The long military presence in Siachen and pilgrimage tourism to Gangotri has undermined the purity of the invaluable water resources. Glaciologist Syed Iqbal Hasnain is worried that our failure to act will aggravate water scarcity and ecological degradation to dangerous levels[4].  The interview with S.I Hasnain had been conducted in the background of Ronald Emrich film " The Day after tomorrow" that has dramatized the impact of global warming in the form of Big Freeze. While considering the big Scenario unlikely, Mr. Hasnain has pointed out that we are indeed facing a global warming crisis
 for the first time in the 4.5 billion year history of earth, which has been provoked entirely by human activity. 15000 years is considered the normal gap in the cyclical patterns of global warming and freezing.  Thus, next ice age according to Mr. Hasnain is expected not before another 10,000 years. It has been pointed out that glaciers are receding all over the world. One of the important impacts of the receding glaciers in Himalayas is availability of water in the glacier fed rivers. Eighty percent of the water in the Indus, Ganga and Brahmputra rivers are fed by melting snow and ice. The life of these rivers is entirely dependant on glaciers. Water supply in these rivers cannot be sustained if ice is not replenished. It has been pointed out that human activity due to pilgrimage to Gangotri, army presence and trekking is contributing to the eco-degradation of the Himalayas. There are more evidences indicating impacts of the global warming. Not much is being done to
 arrest the receding of the glacier and everything is being left to chance. Several such evidences are spread over globally and environmentalists are feeling more and more frustrated.
   
  Mining in Himalayas along with the activities of road construction created ecological impact. Chipko movement and then later other movements based has brought the issues of ecological degradation to the fore in Uttarakhand. The movement helped in the global build-up for ecological safety and it strengthened the voice of Greens in Europe and Americas. Realizing sustainability goals for Himalayas is like realizing the sustainability goals of all the mountain system. The movements are local but then scale of intervention is global. Therefore, it is important to understand all the factors that are responsible for the continued failure in making substantial changes for realising the ecologically sustainable future for people in Himalayas and elsewhere. I would like to address the issue through analysing the sustainability conditions of the consumption patterns and then analysing the movements, ideologies and religions that all have a bearing on the fate of not only the people
 in the Himalayas but all over the world. 
   
  Sustainability of the mines based / industrial and grass based /agricultural consumption and production patterns
   
  Considering the history of consumption and production patterns, it can be easily imagined and observed that only agricultural and pastoral consumption and production patterns are sustainable so long the Sun is alive with the provision of rain and air. Mines extracted in various forms are limited and thus definition of growth and progress based on the availability of mines is also transitory. Diagrammatic representation for sustainability value of mines based and agricultural based consumption pattern show the sustainability values for the consumption patterns. It is in this background that call for redefining "progress" of the ecological economists such as Richard B. Norgaard, Pavel Kasyanov, Greens, Gandhians, pious Muslims, Christians, Jews, Sikhs and others need to be understood. Considering this fact, we can see that a global transformation of production and consumption patterns is urgently needed so that our concerns for ecological safety for our generation in here
 and now and for the future generations are addressed while ensuring best mechanisms for distributive justice[5] for the renewable resources and survival equations based on the same.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
                Has limited value on the Sustainability Index
   

            Has unlimited value on the Sustainability Index 
   

            Mines Based Consumption and production patterns/ Industrial 

            Grass based consumption and production patterns/ Agricultural 

 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

     

  Diagrammatic representation of the values of consumption pattern on the Sustainability Index is shown above. I had proposed the value to range from 0 to 1. Renewable resource based consumption have the value of 1 while non-renewable resource based consumption have the value of 0 as they will not be available in all the possible future time. Believers in the Day of Judgement seek both temporal and eternal well being while atheists seek temporal well being only.

   
   
   
  This fact is quite well known to quite a number of movements and there are several government and non-government efforts. UN agencies have been promoting the use of Sustainability Index[6] .For ensuring socially and ecologically responsible investing; the corporate sector and the investors in Europe are using Sustainability Index. There are environment ministries looking in the impact the development decisions on environment. Nonetheless, there is much that is urgently needed to be for desirable impact. I would like to focus on my academic conclusions, which have been made considering the political processes and movements globally.
   
  Analysis of the prescriptive frameworks for safeguarding socially and ecologically sustainable consumption and production patterns/ lifestyle    
  Considering the Sustainability Index, and considering the overall efficacy of the movements, it is better to have an analysis of the movements that contribute for the realization of ecological safety, distributive justice and collective health and well being. Prescription for the direction of change for the movements will be also discussed.
   
  Movements and their representations
   
  WSF 2004 documentation represents one of the best listing of the themes in pursuance of the demands of the various movements that are recognized worth listing by the NGO’s and movement leaders. It has not included the perspectives of the faith-based organizations. Muslims certainly have a prescription based on the communication of the messengers. WSF doctrinally affirms negation of the dominance of any vision of truth and it creates only the space for articulation of the positions without seeking a unified protocol for global governance. 
   
  Movements for gender justice
   
  The movements for gender justice are one of the strong movements and there are calls for ensuring gender justice in all the institution of governance, education, commerce and so on. It may be considered 'heretical' in writing something that calls for the transformation of the ideals of gender justice movement in the light of the demands of sustainable consumption and production pattern required for ensuring ecological safety. My apprehension is valid only for those affirmations and political positions where provision of all the services and utilities based on the consumption of the fossil fuels is considered sustainable without recognizing the limits to the sustainability of the supplies of non-renewable resources. Achieving gender justice for all the consumption based on the non-renewable resources is not possible now. It is not possible to achieve distributive justice for all. Therefore, there is a need to transform the consumption patterns for realizing the Kyoto
 Protocol emission targets. This can be achieved only with rationalization of the consumption of leisure and pleasure related goods and services. Thus, it will be imperative to seek minimization of the activities involving consumption of fossil fuel based leisure and pleasure by all. 
   
  Faith based instruments is recommended for replacing the leisure and pleasure need of both men and women. Decisions will lead to negative growth in tourism and entertainment industry. I would be worthwhile to create databases for the contribution of various sectors of human engagement to the emission levels locally and globally. Nations will have to rethink definition of “growth”, “development” and "progress". It is necessary to have recourse to the commands of God in texts where differentiation between men and women has not been made. "Patriarchy" is one of the important concepts that need to be reviewed for clear understanding as the use of this concept in the background of anti-religious texts has been globalised to an extent that this is considered a target to be fought along with other targets[7]. I have argued that "patriarchy" is not relevant in monotheistic framework. There is a distinction between divine commands and man-made protocols. Manu's protocol related to
 women and quoted quite often is not in conformity with the monotheistic commands where men and women marry while adhering to commands in the name of God. Many writers have blamed religion to be anti-women, which is not true. Manu's protocol regarding the women's access to Veda's needs to be condemned as there exists prohibition of access to knowledge by women and shudras. There are no such prohibitive provisions in the monotheistic texts. Thus, men and women need to be appealed for having a fresh understanding of the commands of God and for this reading of Qur'an is recommended where issues having difference in the interpretation of earlier texts has been explained with communication for total submission of oneself to the commands of Allah/God/Parmatma (I think, the best word without any anthropomorphic representation in the polytheistic pantheon is Paramatma. Scholars of Sanskrit may help in finding the equivalent of the word Allah with 99 names in Arabic language .All
 the name with similar meanings in other languages are equally the names of the Omniscient and the Omnipresent).
   
  Thus abidance of the commands by both men and women related to prayers and tithes/zakat with belief in the Day of Account will lead to the harmony between men and women and then among the various groups. In the governance, it would be possible to establish "piety" as the criterion for leadership. The degree of his and her abidance to the commands of Allah determines piety of a man and woman. It may be not possible but then we can direct the energies in this direction and this will have best reward for all of us here in this world and hereafter. We need to consider this urgently or else we will continue to debate "alternatives" without having a personal and collective impact. Large conferences will continue to be labelled as eco-hostile activity. WSF 2004 has been criticized for this reason. A beginning can be made by transforming WSF agenda, that is a forum for debates on alternatives while individuals and associated movements /groups take local and global action. The
 virtual congress on global governance is a significant occasion to the decisively define a globally acceptable protocol of global governance with fullest participation of faith leaders and pious scholars. I would like to communicate for the acceptance of monotheistic protocols of global and local governance for meeting the challenges peacefully and democratically.
   
  Establishing "piety"/taqwa in Arabic eliminated ideas based on the understanding of race and caste. In the deconstructionist discourse, power is analysed without providing definition of truth. In the monotheistic communication "power" belongs to Allah and men and women are commanded to judge on the basis of the criterion provided by Allah. The virtual Congress on World Citizenship and Democratic Global Governance could be an occasion to generate a consensus for the acceptance of the monotheistic criterion as the one that can unite all.  
   
  Movements for distributive justice   
  Till the fall of USSR, we had this major fear of nuclear holocaust. Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev are credited with the admission that a nuclear war cannot be won. Gorbachev called for the de-ideologisation of foreign policy and opening up of the polity of USSR for safeguarding the humanity from ecological disaster and nuclear holocaust. Marxist Leninist framework was an atheistic framework where private ownership was eliminated. With the fall of atheistic communist governments in most of the countries, we still have movements calling for the distributive justice based on the undifferentiated vision for consumption. I have argued for the continuation of the struggles for distributive of renewable resources in monotheistic framework by collecting all the commands in various textual traditions. I consider this extremely important, as there is need to stop the bloodshed that is happening the in states of India and Nepal. There is need to seek consensus on the need for
 ensuring both public and private contributions for ensuring justice. Taxation ensures the money for public works and governance while donation helps people in the neighbourhood (Also in the ICT enable global neighbourhood). Wesley E Burt has proposed collection of three tithes as per the communications of God/Allah and he has been arguing since last many years for correcting the systemic defects in the US social, economic policy. I have been arguing for recognising the need to abide by the commands and focussing on the need to affirm the monotheistic framework for sorting out the disputes on all issues. 
   
  I would like to argue following the commands as communicated to the messengers and recorded in holy texts. (Zakat in Qur'an, tithes in Bible, Dharmada and Daan in the Sanskrit texts) that establishing monotheistic standards will help in ensuring best distributive justice as men and women while seeking the best here in this world will also seek best in the hereafter. Greed is tackled best with faith in the Day of Account for which best rewards are guaranteed for those who have spent in charity out of the sustenance provided by God. Considering the death as a certainty and then considering the need to have a resplendent record for the Day of Account, a believer is motivated in the contributing optimally for the poor, relatives, orphans, and widows. Percentage of earnings paid annually has been decided and there are established proportions among the faith groups. I would like to suggest that this is taken as a priority for the new WSF meeting as we cannot be happy with the
 fratricide generated out of grievance based on the lack of distributive justice. We already have innumerable narrations on the iniquitous globalisation among the monotheists, polytheists and atheists. It is important to consider all men and women as part of one family. It is important to seek best guidance from God/Allah as Allah and Allah only can be our best guide with our prayers and endeavours. Strong monotheistic tone here may be construed as representative of religious fundamentalism. However, considering the dominance of atheistic fundamentalism with Satan as the companion, it is important to communicate the path of progress both in temporal and eternal sense as per the promise of Allah that will never fail. We have already created means for collective suffering. By not uniting our voice in submitting to the will of Allah, we will continue to differ while suffering disasters here in this world and assuredly in the hereafter. We can imagine the interest of the
 children in 40th century. Allah knows better. Terraforming[8] Mars may create some colonies but how many will afford travel for three years in the space. Debates continue on the ethics of such ventures while things on earth can be very well managed with the blessings of Allah and then with our own humble efforts. Earth has been created with everything in proportion. Atheists do not see any purpose in the creation of seven skies and earth as per the recorded divine communication in Qur'an[9]. 
   
  Movements for Ecological Democracy   
  Movements for ecological democracy can be assessed from the documents of the Green movements all over the world. Major conclusion of the movements are for widening democracy for including effectively the concerns of the development displaced, indigenous people, children and women while having a deep recognition of the fact that globalisation of the development model supported by WTO, World Bank and IMF and other donor organizations is not sustainable. World Social Forum is an interesting forum that has helped movements to come together and discuss alternatives. Forum does not include the participation of the representatives of the governments in their official capacity. Indian Social Forum organised in the month of November 2006 plans to find out alternatives to corporate globalisation. As a member of the Programme Committee, I have argued for the creation for space for prayer 5 times a day at least for the Muslim participants while suggesting to all others the need to
 practice prayer and meditation 5 times a day.
   
  Considering the need to have a rapid appraisal of the decisions of the movements represented in the World Social Forum this may be pointed out that there is an absence of consensus on reforming the finance system, model global governance, model code of conduct, definition of human rights and so on. Muslims and Catholics can never agree to the advocacy for permissive legislation for the homosexuals. Polytheists may not agree to the call for global adoption of prayer 5 times a day despite the fact that command/prescription for prayer exists in a Sanskrit text called Shiv Sankalp Sutra[10]. Upholders of the theory of Gaia will not agree to the call of Muslims for faith in the oneness of God. Christians may agree to the presence of commands against drinking intoxicating drinks but they may not join in the call for establishing governance for upholding the word of God. Jews will agree to the presence of the commands against usury but then they would like to limit the
 application of the commands within Jews only while Muslims call for the abolition of usurious finance systems not only for themselves but for all. There are areas where positions are non-negotiable by the upholder of various visions of social and world order. There is need to bridge the cognitive gaps and this may not be possible without men and women joining in together for upholding some common values and establishing global communities of practice. Democracies are built around common shared visions with space for all the alternative and opposition visions. Muslim democrats like to see generation of democratic consensus for abidance to the commands Islamic democracies are for ensuring the communication of the commands of Allah. I would like to argue that the ideals of ecological democracy are established best in seeking affirmation and practice of the commands of Allah. Islamic Democracy of Iran is a good example of governance model that needs global acceptance for
 ensuring ecological democracy.
   
  WSF as a matter for fact stands for negation of claim for a globally acceptable model. This can be also seen that without reforming the finance system and without correcting the systemic defects, inclusive democracy with reference to the rights of indigenous people and development displaced for ecologically sustainable and equitable consumption and production pattern cannot be realized. This is only possible with maximization in the number of people who are compassionate for the fellow human beings, who spend in charities, who establish prayer and who believe in the Day of Judgment. Atheistic materialists, social theorists and futurologists are good in agonizing on the problem, seeking best pleasures and leisure here in this world while not considering the fate of men and women in the hereafter end up prescribing solutions that are voluntary and not for global abidance. Pious Muslims, Christians, Hindus and Buddhists and all the followers of religions don’t value their
 prescriptions, as they are not morally sound. More often than not, atheistic communicators are found to be supporter of adultery, homosexuality and usury. 
   
  In the faith based communication, while sustainability is real only for the life in the hereafter and not with the existence of this earth for the all the time. Polytheistic communicator on the vision for a better world appears to be content through denouncing the monotheistic visions for social order. More often than not polytheists and atheists join in denouncing the monotheistic communication as intolerant recalling some of the experiences from the past and then some from the presents where Muslims are found to be part of violent actions. 
   
  Considering the above, we can see that there are at least three visions for the strategies and outcome of ecological democracy namely atheistic, polytheistic and monotheistic. Targets are clear but then instruments are not prescribed for common abidance. It is with regard to such a lack of vision for the effective instrument that goes beyond opposing the globalisaiton that, I would like to discuss the communities of practice and its implications for immediate ecological and biological safety. I would like to keep these categories for defining discursive narrative in active consideration, as the categories of capitalism, socialism and neo-liberalism are not quite representative of the people who are following various religions. We can see there are atheistic capitalists, polytheistic capitalists and monotheistic capitalists as they have different perceptions on the use of wealth acquired through production and services. There are atheistic socialists, polytheistic
 socialists and monotheistic socialists, and there are atheistic feminists, polytheistic feminists and monotheistic feminists. Also then there are atheistic communists, monotheistic communists and polytheistic communists. There are hypocrites, who are mere opportunists looking for a good bargain. With the best tolerance rendered for the various groups, it would be still important to find our the common axis for action and practice for getting the results for social equitable and ecologically sustainable democracy that work for the best interests of all here in this world and hereafter. I am not sure whether this can be realised for all. There are just too many differences and too much of ‘ignorance’. I recall the debates on the conception of ignorance. For Muslims, all who reject the signs of Allah and commands of Allah are rebellious and they will have to face chastisement if they do not repent. I also realise that ecologically, the time for repentance is now for many who
 reject the commands of Allah and pursue the whims of atheists without knowing the final outcome for the personal, collective and eternal well being. I also realise that I am writing all this for responding to the search for socially equitable and ecologically sustainable habitats, mountain, and lifestyles as that is the key stimulus for this piece of writing recognising that there are many who wish only for temporal well being only as they do not believe in eternal life of the souls. 
   
  At this point, I am tempted to recall the importance of Islamic democracies where there is an agreement for abiding to the commands of Allah and then seek consensus and consultation on the issues that are not reflected in the Qur’aan and traditions of Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him). I have a strong feeling for defending Islamic democracy, as I believe this will deliver all the goods. Muslim praying five times a day not only endeavour to get a better deal on the Day of Account but they also cause minimum ecological footprints. Though, seen differently, they are thankful for the bounties of nature and they wish to share with all without realising the call for ecological democracy.
   
  Limits of the movements and political parties seeking the best world through atheistic and polytheistic model of governance 
   
  I would like to start with the Narmada Bachao Andolan, a movement led by Gandhians. Governments successively have failed and the best response conceived is in terms of land for land for those who are to be displaced. There has been call for implementation of alternative development paradigm. There are references for the same in so many communications. Millennium Development Goals has an affirmation for the call for ensuring environment sustainability for the consumption and production patterns. Still, there is absence of discussion on the final contours of  “alternative” for global acceptance. NBA does not have the script for global adoption though they are part of the expressions of dissent across the world. Sunderlal Bahuguna once said that for the modern world dollar has become like God. He was repeating the old critique where people are denounced if they do not appreciate the call of ‘dharma’ and worship money only. There are many pious Hindus who agree with Muslims
 on so many things if they are pointed out the reference in the Sanskrit text for the commands of Allah recorded in Qur’an. There are many Christians and Jews who too agree to the importance of the global adoption of prayer 5 times a day but then they are not yet ready too get beyond the framework of nation state.  We do not get much reference to the ecological sustainability, if we read the manifestoes of the political parties. There are political parties that defend the preservation of cultural values but they do not relate to the measurement of ecological footprints of the consumption patterns. It is critical to have a manifesto that relates to the consideration of ecological sustainability for the vision promoted for the nation. We cannot trust the vision for energy security and energy independence for India country, as this has not been achieved for any nation till now following the dominant unregulated mode of development with freedom for all communications and with
 dominance of leaders who do not uphold the standards of ‘piety’ to be the main criterion for leadership. There are Greens like Craig Hubley who seek leaders to be the practitioners of prayer and meditation for being better mediators on behalf of the people they serve. 
   
  Rashtriya Swamsevak Sangh has a racist vision for Indian that are not based on facts and that supports inequitable and exploitative processes. There is a need to reform the key operational ideology of Rashtriya Swamsevak Sangha. Political mobilisation of dalits has further discredited them and their attempts to consolidate Hindu identity are based on hatred for scheduled caste, Muslims and Christians. It is strange that while acknowledging all types of religious practices, they do not appear to the accommodative of the propagation of the monotheistic practices and beliefs by Muslims, Christians and Jews as they limit their appreciation of the role models worshipped in the polytheistic pantheon that are based in India. They forget the migration patterns and other evidences that distinguish them from the indigenous population in India.  They wish to impose their understanding of a "Hindu" nation. Republicans in US are not responding to the ecological needs and they continue
 to deny the impacts of global warming. Indian and Chinese politicians wish to pursue nationalist goals that are based on the abundance of non-renewable resource based services and comforts in the rural and urban areas while not realising the sustainability of the non-renewable resource based power. US is on the verge of entering a nuclear deal with India while ignoring the legitimate claims for the same by Pakistan, Iran and so many other nations.
   
  Therefore, it is important to uphold the pious standards and seek wider consent through persuasive communication. It is equally important to delete the impact of the social designers who continue to stall faith-based prescriptions in monotheistic framework. Many have not been able get beyond the negative experience of Church is some matters that were clearly responded by Allah/God through communications to Muhammad (Peace be upon Him) and recorded in Qur'an.)
   
  Non State Actor and their call for "another world order"   
  Maoists, Islamists, Dalits and NGOs all call for a world order and endeavour for building another world. There are common points of aspiration without having a consensus on the points of action, as there are different worldviews and conceptions of justice. Hindus nationalists are not acceptable to dalits, tribals, women and indigenous people, as they are understood to be supporters of the social order of Manu. Dalits call for the establishment of an alternative world order based on the teachings of Buddha. Atheistic neo-liberals calling for granting homosexuals positive social space are not acceptable to all who uphold the family and who support the normality of the heterosexual marriage. These differences are critical as they are the hurdles for realising the ecologically sustainable habitats/livelihoods for all. There are so many ecologically hostile travels that are taking place for addressing the root cause of suffering, poverty, AIDS as comprehensive solutions are
 not worked out. Some sort of hope is attached for the future and some sort of synergy is sought for the proposition of advocacy without compromising on the positions that are ecologically hostile. For example, Global Call Against Poverty deliberated on the need to reform the national and international finance institutions.
   
  Need for synthesis   
  Therefore there is need for synthesis for defining one governance protocol for meeting the local, national and global challenges. This is needed for ensuring protection of ecologically sustainable livelihoods/transportation systems and habitats in Himalayas and elsewhere as there is absolutely no guarantee for the energy security. There is need have a paradigm for social unity and global unity. There is need to ensure minimisation of the consumption of resources that produce green house gases. There is a need to produce measures and policies that protect the cleanness of water in the rivers such as Yamuna where 386 million litres of wastewater is flown from Delhi. This synthesis is needed with open mind for considering divine information and revelations of the messengers. We need this synthesis to be effected in the minds of men and women globally and locally. We need to get back the communications for eternal well being of the souls. We need to find one pole for
 governance of all with patience and compassion. Atheistic 'modernist' utopia has been denounced and there are indeed challenges that are being faced locally and globally. We need to get rid of the mindsets where children are prohibited to display the religious signs in the schools. Instead, we need to create spaces for dialogue information about the diverse religions for the children.
   
  Monotheistic framework for global unity/world unity considering the ecological challenges   
  I have argued for global adoption of monotheistic framework after analysing the analytical and prescriptive narratives by academicians, scientists deriving their moral ethical standards from the religious, ideological traditions. It is important to organise people of the world around one pole and endeavour for unity. Islamic/ Monotheistic framework is the framework for social and global unity as only the standard of piety is considered the most important standard. Race, language, geography are the creation of God and that is not due to some human intervention. Globalisation of atheistic neo-liberal consumption patterns has to be transformed through the globalisation of the culture of prayer, donation, patience, thanks giving, forgiveness and so on.  There are related commands in the various texts. There are implications for education, governance, consumption pattern, financial institutions, and production patterns, as we need to privilege the standard of piety for all the
 world citizens all over the world.
   
  Other impacts of the adoption of monotheistic framework   
    
   Prevention of usurious transaction as men and women following the commands will stop charging interests for the loans. There are movements for transforming the finance sector where conclusions have been drawn from secular analysis suggesting the need for liberating loans from interests www.globaljusticemovement.net   
   Freedom from the exploitative systems   
   Distributive justice through the global adoption of the commands for donation of the surplus money/ commodity  
   Social unity in the abidance to the commands of God/Ishwar/Allah  
   Elimination of caste/class/tribe based discrimination as a result of the global appreciation of oneness of humanity  
   Deletion of the impacts of the atheistic and polytheistic social designers and contradictions   
   Transformation of the consumption patterns through global adoption of the culture of prayer  
   Transformation of the leisure use pattern for creating time for prayer 5 times a day
   
  Toward a solution    
  Therefore, we can consider the global, local and personal adoption of the commands to be the final solution for addressing the problems that are felt by various groups not only in the Himalayan region but also in the rest of world. There is need to promote the culture of prayer and donation of the surplus wealth for the needy, orphans, the relatives, families in the neighbourhood (40 households in all directions are considered neighbourhood according to one saying of Prophet Muhammad and they do appear optimum for a household that can be taken care of. Now, with the assistance of ICT enabled value transaction, the whole world is also treated as a neighbourhood by some who can afford to pay but then physical proximity is what matters more.) We can get the best results through the ICT enabled communication environment across the cities for transforming the consumption pattern as that is what is needed addressing the ecological challenges locally and globally. We need to
 promote global adoption of prayer 5 times a day. I have shared with several e-forums and I would like to share this with the participants in the First Virtual Congress on World Citizenship and Democratic Global Governance that is being held in the month of July 2006. As part of recommendations, I would like to share the following that is contained in my PhD work on World Citizenship:
   
  Recommendations for a just world order
   
  There is a need to build up consensus for global unity in the monotheistic framework. The atheistic, polytheistic and animist prescriptions need to be understood as a representation of false consciousness. Shortcomings of the nation state system can be addressed by global adoption of Islam. Aside from being a proposition of an acquired faith in Islam (that is an abstract noun in Arabic language for an intellectual and political stance that is based on submission to the commands of Allah/God/nirguna Brahmm/.../.../ communicated through the messengers of Allah), this is also being submitted keeping into consideration the global need to decelerate, rationalize and prioritize the consumption of the exhaustible resource. Faith in the afterlife (heaven and hell) needs to be communicated for best moral regulation. It may be more dangerous to wallow in the chaotic discourse in the atheistic and polytheistic framework as objective social, political and cultural condition on our
 Planet calls for an urgent need for global unity and just world governance. Earth belongs to all as per the command of Almighty and many philosophers have also expressed the same. Global Family has been an idea and there is a need for a political realization of the same in the monotheistic framework. UN may consider for itself a more active role defined in the light of Qur'an. The researcher would like to contribute further in this regard. Universities  may also take an active role in this by organizing an intensive interdisciplinary workshops on assessing the different frameworks of global governance. Also there are some e-lists that are discussing the models of global governance.


  The impact of the proposition presented, as conclusive prescription can be further tested and reasoned. A consensus may emerge for our collective interest. 


   There is need to revisit atheistic understanding of foundationalism with reverence for the commands in Qur'an. Some commands can be interpreted for contextual limits. There is a command for the utilization of the best means of persuasion. Allah had also reprimanded Muhammad (PBUH) for not considering himself a guardian over the men and women and their belief.


   Some theorists in Psychology need to be denounced for the appropriation of atheistic, polytheistic, animistic and evolutionary content. Pure and unalloyed monotheistic framework needs fresh consideration for the spiritual/religious identity. There is need to denounce the Freudian notion that God as a concept has been invented for replacing the Father figure. There is a need to review the anti-church discourse for a fresh reconstruction of history of ideas, history of science and, then, for understanding the philosophy of science in monotheistic framework. Charles S. Pierce, a philosopher of Science is considered to have founded logical socialism, condemned the pragmatism of Nietzsche (of God is dead fame) and Dewey by calling it vulgar and advocated pragmaticism. Pierce's position has been reported to mean that "the world cannot be known or explained by merely by its previously fixed lawful structures but must rather continue to be developed as historical social world of
 institutions and habits, for which we must assume responsibility, then it becomes evident that men confront with other besides that of objectifying and explaining world through science or of converting science into efficient behavior, that is technology in the broadest sense. As members of the community of interpreters human beings must remain of the mankind subjects engaged in science and nonetheless be capable of being made the topic of rational knowledge and praxis". 


  The reason for the citing the above is to show the felt need for continued development of the world .The researcher recommend the incorporation of regular expressions of thankfulness for the Almighty while investigation the creation in the visible and invisible realms / universes.


  Even as one understands the assertion in the work as being not completely and comprehensively explained it is suggested that there are more discussions and documentation for the development of a global framework of governance as many respondents have felt the need for the same though in many case with an apprehension for domination of the "west". As per the deconstruction of West in the dissertation it may be clear that filling of the gap in the atheistic and polytheistic narratives can be done in pure monotheistic framework. The researcher has argued for adoption of Islam for the same.


   Lastly for all scientists who are concerned with the globally acceptable framework a fresh reading of Qur'an is suggested.


The researcher would like to repeat the above as many times as possible in his life to men and women who express concern for personal and collective well-being here in this world and hereafter. May be there is enough guidance and grace from the Almighty for more and more men and women.


There is need for global adoption and practice of commands of Allah as mentioned in Qur'an. All anti-foundationalism discourses seeking a global consensus for a 'Grand Theory of all" in the atheistic, polytheistic and animistic discourses would not have the desired outcome. Every man and woman is a world citizen. Integration of Europe, though considered to be based on Christianity by some, will have more implications for the rest of the world if the American Psychiatric Association's definition of homosexuality is denounced and relevant legal provision revised for discouraging adoption of homosexuality by men and women. There is a need to respect Pope John Paul's view in this regard. This will be also in accordance with the divine commands. A prophet called Loot / Lot (Peace be upon him) has been mentioned in Qur'an to have exhorted men in his time against the same. Homosexual had mocked the prophet .God/Allah destroyed them by lightning.

The researcher has looked into the need of many global and local thinkers/ scientists and philosophers who have calling for the development of alternative paradigm. In India Narmada Bachao Andolan and Swadeshi Jagran Manch has been also calling for the same. There are different responses to this call for the development of the alternative paradigm. Postmodernism in the Euro-American context / Western calls for denunciation all claims for metanarrative as the same will be hegemonic and too authoritative. Greens have been calling for the adoption of 'reduce, reuse and recycle' as a slogan for our times. UN Security General excluding some areas has described global security environment overall peaceful. Non-Muslim leaders fear Islamists and there is a sort or consensus to fight Islamic terrorism. Green dream can be realized fast nonetheless with global adoption of culture of prayer five times a day as commanded for all in Qur'an. Globalization of the culture drinking and
 dancing as promoted by the government's electronic and print media in non-Islamic societies accelerates the consumption of exhaustible resources. Sustained vision for the contest and competition among the nations for having maximum access to the exhaustible resources may have many violent conflicts. Assuming absence of full scale replacement of the exhaustible resources for the future generation and also recognizing the traumatic social realities in the non Islamic societies, global practice of commands of Allah is suggested while recognizing the continuity of monotheistic faith across the continents and time since Adam and Eve/ Hawwa (peace be on them) our common ancestors. 

Thus it can be seen that it was hard for the researcher to only respond on the basis of the responses of the interview schedules as conclusion of the researcher through the conceptual organization detailed in the section on findings would not have been reported as a significant outcome of investigations on "cognitive representation related to the concept of world citizen "in just world order inquiries. It is also submitted that the findings of the interview that significantly lacked relevant description of the alternative visions further firmed researcher's position up.

It would be pertinent to mention ten dimension of the normative project mentioned in the report of the world order model project by Richard Falk (1995). They are 1. Taming war, 2.Abolishing war, and 3.Making individuals accountable, 4.Collective security, 5. Rule of Law,  6. Nonviolent revolutionary politics, 7. Human rights,  8. Stewardship of nature  9. Positive citizenship,  and, 10. Cosmopolitan Democracy.

While describing positive citizenship it is stated that 'the projection of a global identity, without the conditions of community, and the claim now to be "world citizens" express serious striving for humane governance, but they also arouse serious suspicions that the necessary struggles associated with the transformation are being evaded by the sentimental, New age pretense that a reorientation of the personal energy will suffice'. 

Following the above it can be seen that mere assertions of world citizenship has not been considered sufficient. Prescription for the 'positive citizenship' is offered and has been rightly drawn on nonviolence and human rights as inspirational sources. However according to Richard Falk 'The greatest challenge, at present, is to reconcile the territorial dimension of citizenship with the temporal dimension: acting in the present for the sake of future, establishing zones of humane governance as building blocks' (p.253). In response to the perceived challenge of and keeping into consideration the researcher's basic conceptual tools, it is conclusively submitted that the challenge can be best negotiated by the global adoption and nonviolent practice of Islam with patience and hope for the mercy of Allah/God/ Nirguna parameshwar, the most Beneficent and the Merciful who was neither born nor gave birth.
   
  
  
---------------------------------
      [1] The paper was circulated to the participants and it has been cited in the doctoral thesis of the author titled " A Study of Cognitive Representations related to the Concept of World Citizen"

    [2] My phrase for describing all the services, utilities, transportation systems and commodities that are available with the extraction of crude oil from the oil fields 

    [3] Ville-Veikko Hirvela , Democracy in Global Life , Vol-2, Issue-7 Vasudhaiv Kutumbkum, 30 March ,2004

    [4]  Icy Retreat, TOI Interview with Syed Iqbal Hasnain, The Times Of India, June 5,2004

    [5] Karl Marx was not ware of the sustainability of the resources and therefore movements based on distributive justice for all consumption cannot be ensured. We cannot call for human right to travel by air for all and we cannot define that to be a fundamental right. Similarly all the movement calling for distributive justice for both renewable and nonrenewable resource based consumption need to redefine the visions accordingly as we can no envisage distributive justice for consumption of non-renewable resource based services and utilities. There are implications for the movements that are based on perceptions of relative deprivation of the consumption of non-renewable resource based services and utilities. Movements for gender justice and the movements based on ethnic identities need to see the ecological impact of their decisions and visions. Therefore, focus is on the renewable resource based survival equations that can be envisaged for all till the Day of Judgment.

    [6] The author in the international meet through a paper noted earlier had proposed the concept of Eternity Index. The same was elaborated to mean the Sustainability Index while relating the same in his PhD work on “A Study of Cognitive Representations related to the Concept of World Citizen”.

    [7] Kamal Mitra Chenoy, Vasudhaiv Kutumbkum, March 29,2004

    [8] There are projections about making Mars habitable for humans by injecting modules of Green House gases and chlorofluorocarbons for melting ice on the surface of Mars. (BBC telecasted in Explorations on 20 June 2004)

    [9] I continue to learn Qur'an that was communicated to prophet Muhammad, who was illiterate and I would like to suggest reading of Qur'an everyday without prejudice and for being on the straight path. This will help in understanding of the role models of messengers and their spouses who have been deleted from the atheistic neo-liberal, feminist, and Marxist discourse

    [10] I am indebted to Mahamandeshwar Swami Akhilesh jee of Sanatan Seva Samiti, Arrah, Bihar (India), who informed me about the existence of the commands for remembering Ishwar five times a day. The timings suggested are the same as in the Holy Qur’aan.


  

robert searle <dharao4 at yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
  Dear Mukhtar,

Yes, you are right. Terrorism has been
undertaken by Palestinians, Israelis, Spanish
serparatists, Sikh extremists, et al. It is not just
extremist "Muslims" but they do seem to grab the
Western news most of the times. That is the point to
appreciate, and cause enormous damage to decent
followers of the Koran.

However, I see little, or no evidence of "terorism"
from Hinduism, and Buddhism though undoubtedly there
will be the odd fanatic. The reason I indicated is
that they believe in reincarnation which means that
they regard their sects as being stepping stones for
spiritual evolution through many lifetimes. In other
words, there is NO one Path, and even if there was
such a one it would not matter whether you came to it
in this birth, or in some future birth. 

Thus, fanaticism becomes meaningless in this context,
and the possibility of fundamental extremism is also
less likely to occur. Ofcourse, there will always be
the exception like Ananda Marga, or the Sikh
separatists whose terrorism has died down as far as I
know....but I am not in the habit of reading Indian
papers in English.

Genuine Islam is for peace, and indeed, a high degree
of religious tolerance essential for a civilized
society. It appears that the Jews for example have
suffered more from the Christian Church than under any
"Muslim" regime. One is reminded here that most of
them fled Spain when it became a Christian country
again in 1491. They preferred it when the Muslims were
in control.

I think we should leave this subject now as it is all
somewhat contoversial!


Regards,


R.Searle





--- Muhammad Mukhtar Alam 
wrote:

> Dear Robert, there are poltico-historical context
> for the use of words such as terrorism, insurgency,
> revolutionary, reactionary, rebellion..Muslims find
> themselves in various context and there are violent
> actions too in response to the violence..I am a
> pacifist but then I like to see the various contexts
> and not associate all actions following the commands
> of Allah.. that is open and clear for all recorded
> in Qur-an. There are contextual commands..There are
> definitions of Just war..We can only emdeavour for
> resolution of conflicts peacefully..
> 
> In short , terrorism is not only committed by
> Muslims only..therefore ,please do ot associate that
> only with followers of Islam..There are
> Maoists..There are n number of violent movements
> across the world against globalisation and then
> against injustice
> 
> Dr.Muhammad Mukhtar Alam
> 
> 
> robert searle wrote:
> Dear Mukhtar,
> 
> You are right!! The doctrine of
> reincarnation has been misused in India to a certain
> extent with the creation of the ancient caste
> system.
> At least, it is not as bad terrorism by misguided
> "muslin" fundamentalists!!! This ofcourse is total
> misinterpretation of Islam which teaches PEACE.
> Killing innocent people for whatever reason is
> unacceptable in any civlized society.
> 
> 
> Regards,
> 
> R.Searle
> 
> 
> 
> PS. I recall reading about the earthquake in India
> sometime ago, and I was horrified to learn that much
> of the aid had been diverted to the higher caste
> people, and not the lower caste who needed it the
> most!! However, a genuine understanding
> reincarnation
> is also about the belief in grace, or mercy, and not
> just pure retributive justice. This is what the
> backward thinkers in Hinduism do not fully
> understand.
> This is a big subject on which I will not elaborate.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> --- Muhammad Mukhtar Alam 
> wrote:
> 
> > I wished not to address these issues as I find
> them
> > appearing again and again and I find Robert you
> have
> > also not read Qur-an or Bible first hand and
> appear
> > to be holding the opinions of men and women who
> have
> > rejected the communication of Allah/God/Parmatma
> > through the messengers. My dalit friends have
> given
> > up "polytheistic Brahminism..We just concluded a
> > seminar against atrocities on dalit women . I seek
> > monotheistic framework for global unity..We cannot
> > turn all atheists..but it is logical to have faith
> > in the Creator of all that we see and
> > imagine..death..life..resuurection..The Day of
> > Judgement.
> > 
> > My friend Braj Ranjan Mani has written a book
> > called "Debrahiminsing History" and he has
> supported
> > the idea that the idea of 'reincarnation' for
> > getting a birth in higher caste was for
> perpetuating
> > birth based caste identities and previleges.. That
> > is a Pharaonic doctrine..a racist one..God/Allah/
> > Parmatma creates possibilities for all and gives
> all
> > long rope for repentance and correction..
> > 
> > Please do not get enamoured by this 'new'
> > movements with new prophets..who deny the earlier
> > ones..
> > 
> > We need to get out of the atheistic traps and seek
> > abidance to the simple' commons' and judge each
> > other on the basis of the Criterion 'meezan' of
> > piety.
> > 
> > Dr.Muhammad Mukhtar Alam
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > robert searle wrote:
> > Dear All,
> > 
> > 
> > I think the UNIVERSIS MOVEMENT is perhaps the
> > way forward concerning religious questions. They
> > believe in the need for uncertainty, and
> independent
> > inquiry as the basis for a new "religion" ! Quite
> > fascinating, and amusing.
> > 
> > It is also interesting to point out that we often
> > hear
> > of Islam, and less often Christianity causing some
> > sort of problem in the world, and yet we hear
> > virtually nothing about Buddhism, and
> Hinduism.Maybe
> > the reason why they are hardly fanatical at all
> > stems
> > from their belief in reincarnation. 
> > 
> > Unlike the Christians, and Muslims they do NOT
> > believe
> > in eternal damnation but instead the Creator
> > continually gives people a chance to reform
> > themselves
> > life after life until they reach a state of
> highest
> > spiritual development.Then, they are liberated
> from
> > the Wheel of Birth, and Death. Now, that is what I
> > would call REAL DIVINE LOVE. More importantly,
> > reincarnation is explanation for the injustices of
> > the
> > world.
> > 
> > In Islam there are even certain sects that believe
> > in
> > reincarnation, and it is an open question as to
> > whether it was included in its original teachings.
> > Christianity too probably believed in this
> doctrine.
> > The evidence clearly points in that direction far
> > more
> > so than Islam. I would highly recommend a book
> which
> > is very well-researched, and extremely readable. I
> > will mention it here........
> > 
> > The Jesus Mysteries by Freke, and Gandy.
> > 
> > 
> > Among other things it offers convincing evidence
> > that
> > the life of Christ is directly copied (with
> > virtually
> > no alteration)from certain mythological stories of
> > Dionysus (a Greek god), and Osiris (an Egyptian
> > deity). It is quite astonishing to see, and read
> all
> > this. It is painfully obvious that Christianity is
> a
> > heathen religion!!!!
> > 
> > 
> > Regards,
> > 
> > 
> > R.Searle.
> > 
> > 
> > PS. I thought I might stir things up a bit!
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > --- Norman Kurland wrote:
> > 
> > > Dear Dr. Muhammad Mukhtar Alam,
> > > 
> > > Beyond our mutual agreement that God or Allah is
> > the
> > > ultimate Creator of 
> > > all that exists and the Source of all absolute
> > > values, I cannot speak 
> > > for others whose faith beyond this point differs
> > > from my personal 
> > > faith. The use of the term "patriarchy" in
> > > describing the nature of God 
> > > is not part of my personal faith. I have no way
> of
> > > knowing that God is 
> > > a male, a female of some form beyond that of a
> > human
> > > male or female. As 
> > > a believer in the sovereignety of each human
> > person
> 
=== message truncated ===






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